Her father now says she is "worried about going on with her activities in Iran" and is seeking to continue in another country. Meanwhile on 2 January, the Iran Chess Federation expelled veteran female chess grandmaster Mitra Hejazipour for removing her scarf during the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in Moscow. Hejazipour, who said she will now compete in a private capacity and live in France, was told she "has no place in the Islamic Republic's national team any more". Meanwhile at the end of 2019, the world number two junior player, Alireza Firouzja, competed under a Fide flag instead of the Iranian one.
